Greys Anatomy kills off major character in shocking twist for some people, anyway
Well, that was unexpected. Unless you’re an Entertainment Weekly subscriber.
On Thursday night’s episode of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” star Patrick Dempsey — who has been on the show as Dr. Derek Shepherd since the pilot in 2005 and is responsible for introducing the phrase “Dr. McDreamy” into the lexicon — died in a grisly car accident.
Devastating? Certainly to some of the show’s most loyal viewers over the last decade — and even more for those who had the entire moment spoiled because of Entertainment Weekly, which ran an exclusive story about the character’s exit in its latest issue, due out tomorrow. Unfortunately, at least one eagle-eyed subscriber got a copy in the mail on Thursday before the episode, and photos of the story (with the headline “The Doctor Is… Out”) quickly leaked on social media.
The magazine apologized via a statement in Variety, saying “We are surprised that an EW subscriber may have received their issue a day earlier than planned. We always try our best to bring readers exclusive news first.”
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Though Dempsey reportedly had another year on his contract that would have taken him into an upcoming Season 12, there were hints that all was not well in ShondaLand: Page Six ran a story this week that said Dempsey’s departure was imminent, given that showrunner Shonda Rhimes was not pleased with his “diva” behavior. Last fall, Dempsey told his hometown paper in Maine that he planned to leave the show “very soon.”
Anyway, Derek met a gruesome end when he pulled over to help some people in a car crash. Soon after he saved them (and helped put one girl’s organs back into her stomach, because it’s not “Grey’s Anatomy” without at least one horrifying, scarring image), he got back into his car, where he was promptly smashed by an oncoming truck.
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Share this articleShareHe was shipped to a super-incompetent hospital, where doctors argued about how to best save him — “I’m going to die because these people aren’t properly trained,” said Derek’s inner monologue. But it was too late, and he essentially died on the operating table.
His wife, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), arrived at the hospital and numbly agreed to pull the plug when it was obvious he would never recover. Viewers were treated to a wrenching Snow Patrol song along with a montage of the famed TV couple through the years (remember, the pilot started with their one-night stand when they were strangers?) until Meredith bid a tearful goodbye to her husband.
Earlier in the day on Thursday, ABC mysteriously announced that next week’s “Grey’s Anatomy” episode would expand to two hours, bumping “Scandal.” It soon became clear why: Next week, the characters will pay their respects to now-deceased Derek.
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In the meantime, Shonda Rhimes released a statement to TVLine about Dempsey, and made it clear that at least Pompeo (who also signed a deal for Season 12) isn’t going anywhere:
“Patrick Dempsey’s performance shaped Derek in a way that I know we both hope became a meaningful example — happy, sad, romantic, painful and always true — of what young women should demand from modern love. His loss will be felt by all,” she said. “Now, Meredith and the entire ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ family are about to enter uncharted territory as we head into this new chapter of her life.”
On Friday morning, ABC also bid farewell:
“After 11 seasons on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ Patrick Dempsey is moving on to pursue other interests. Dr. Derek Shepherd is an iconic character and we’ve been proud to be the home of ‘McDreamy’ and the ‘Mer/Der’ love story,” the network said via the Los Angeles Times. “‘McDreamy’ will be greatly missed and we wish Patrick the very best in his future endeavors.”
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